Pupils in good company with business boost

The Make the Grade programme is being launched today at four Leeds schools with almost 30 major employers signed up to deliver support.

Businesses which have agreed to be a part of the scheme include Asda, electronics distributor Premier Farnell and law firms Pinsent Mason and Eversheds.

The project is being led by the not-for-profit social enterprise Leeds Ahead which was set up by former lawyer Stephanie Burras to tackle social problems in the city.

She said the scheme was being funded by the private sector making it an ideal approach to school improvement during public sector spending cuts.

The four schools involved from this term are Swallow Hill, John Smeaton, Cockburn and the new Co-operative academy in Leeds. Each school has a main sponsor and an anchor business along with several other partners who have all signed up to a three-year contract as part of the Make the Grade initiative.

These companies will provide mentoring, work placements and competitions aimed at getting young people to develop an entrepreneurial skills and reach their potential.

The scheme is aimed at any schools in the city which fails to get half of their pupils to reach five A* to C grades in their GCSEs.

Ms Burras told the Yorkshire Post the plan is to extend the approach both in and outside of Leeds in future.

“We are building on our experience of working in education in order to develop and maintain long term relationships between schools and businesses so that we are in a position to grow our economy in an increasingly competitive global market.

“We need our schools to bring through young people who can successfully achieve their own potential and help fuel our future economy.

“Employees from these firms bring with them experience of business and can enthuse young people about their own futures and about making a career here in this city.”

Make the Grade will offer a range of activities for pupils including workplace visits, work-based projects and group and individual mentoring with a host of businesses.

The mentoring of pupils being carried out includes “performance mentoring” where the employees from firms will set pupils academic targets, group mentoring and sessions designed specifically to stretch gifted and talented students. Schools will also receive guest speakers and take part in enterprise challenges and workplace visits.

Make the Grade is being launched today at an event in Headlingley with speakers including Asda’s chief executive Andy Clarke, John Smeaton’s headteacher John Daulby, Dr Waheed Khan, the senior assistant head at Cockburn and Rowena Houston a senior investment director of Investec Wealth & Investment, based near Holbeck, Leeds.

She told the Yorkshire Post the project had allowed the firm to meet its ambition of carrying out charity work that would benefit the local community.

“We have been asking our staff how they wanted to contribute to charitable activity and most said that what they really wanted to be able to do was give up some of their time.

“The project benefits us in terms of our own staff morale and we are helping to improve the life chances of young people in the communities near us.”

Four employees from Investec will now be sent to work as mentors with pupils at Cockburn.

Dr Khan told the Yorkshire Post that Leeds Ahead had helped to bring together schools and businesses.

“The project is a facilitator which has put us in touch with quality organisations.

“Having people from these firms work as mentors gives pupils experience of the professionalism of the workplace and they can also act as role models for them.”

Premier Farnell and Logistik are the anchor businesses at Swallow Hill, Mill Asset Management and BT are to work with John Smeaton, Asda, Pinsent Masons and Investec are all working with Cockburn and Mill Asset Management are also working with the new Co-operative academy which replaced Primrose school this year.

Other firms which have signed up to provide support include Aire Valley Homes, Arup, Balfour Beatty, EC Harris, Lloyds TSB, Morrisons, Torque Logistics, UK General and Wilmott Dixon.

There is also public sector involvement – with Leeds University Business School, Leeds Trinity University College, Leeds Council and the Department for Health all supporting the initiative.